Soaring onion prices spark anger in Bangladesh after India ban

A ban on onion exports by India has caused shorts, soaring prices and widespre anger in neighbouring Banglesh, where pungent bulb is used in almost all aspects of national cuisine. price of onions is a sensitive subject in South Asia, where shorts can trigger widespre discontent with political ramifications.

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Onion prices in Banglesh soar

About two-thirds of demand for onions -- an essential ingredient in Bangleshi cuisine -- is grown locally by farmers, with rest mostly imported from neighbouring India, where heavy monsoon rains have reduced crop. One kilogramme of staple vegetable usually costs 30 taka (36 US cents), but has soared to up to 130 taka after India imposed export ban over weekend. Amid a public outcry, Dhaka quickly took steps to import vegetable from Myanmar, Turkey, China and Egypt.

state-run Tring Corporation of Banglesh (TCB) is also selling onions at a discounted 45 taka per kilogramme in capital Dhaka. But in city of 18 million, only about 9,000 people -- limited to two kilogrammes per person -- are allowed to buy vegetable at subsidised rate each day. "Our aim is to help low-income people, although even middle income people  are also buying onion from our trucks," TCB spokesman Humayun Kabir told AFP.

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'All my efforts have come to thing'

One of operators of 35 trucks selling cheaper onions, Mohamm Rafique, told AFP he distributed 400 kilogrammes of onions on Wednesday to around 250 people.

"But we h to send back at least 50 to 60 people empty-handed as we ran out of supply," he said. One frustrated buyer left with a bitter taste was Bangleshi banker Raihan Aziz. "I spent my entire lunch break standing here. But all my efforts have come to thing," Aziz told AFP.

"It seems we have to change our eating patterns, omitting onion from curries and our daily menu." eye-watering prices have also forced some restaurants to chop bulb from ir menus. "We used to give free onion with green sal to our customers. But we longer do it," a Dhaka restaurant waiter told AFP. Meanwhile, consumers have accused wholesalers of hoarding vegetable to jack up prices, a charge y deny.

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New Delhi imposed export ban 

Heavy monsoon rains in key onion-growing regions have been blamed for current short in India. In an effort to arrest furr price rises, New Delhi imposed export ban and suppliers and distributors are blocked from stocking up. Some reserve onion stocks held by national government are also being sold in several states at subsidised prices.

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